Orange County redistricting vote delayed until April 5

Saturday

Mar 16, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Chris McKenna

GOSHEN — The Orange County Legislature has postponed voting on new lines for its 21 districts for two weeks as lawmakers scramble to adjust proposals that two Republicans made privately and released with little time to spare.Instead of voting as scheduled on Thursday, the Legislature’s Rules, Enactments and Intergovernmental Relations Committee will hold a special meeting that day to address concerns raised at a public hearing on March 11. One priority is creating a Hispanic-majority district in the City of Newburgh to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.A full Legislature vote is now expected on April 5. Lawmakers are racing to adopt new district lines before candidates begin petitioning on June 4 to run for all 21 seats in this year’s elections. The revised boundaries will remain in effect for the next decade.